Sierra Canyon's Upper School Math Team opened the year with an impressive 1st place victory in the top division of USC's Southern California Math Competition (SCMC).
The SCMC, founded in 2022 by USC students, is an annual event encouraging high school students to engage with mathematics beyond their regular curriculum. Over 120 students from more than 20 schools across Los Angeles County participated in this year's competition, which included team and individual events, a high-stakes Lightning Round, and features a range of activities like guest lectures and campus tours. This fall, a USC Professor presented a lecture on polynomial interpolations, allowing participants to enjoy a full day of learning and exploration.
Sierra Canyon delivered strong performances across multiple events in this year's competition.
- The first team achieved 1st place, while the second team placed 6th overall.
- In Division A, Tiger Z. '25 and Thomas M. '27 secured 1st and 3rd place, while James B. '26, Thomas L. '28, and Nikhil M. '26 all tied for 12th place overall in the Individual Round.
- Baer B. '28 earned 1st place in Division B in the Individual Round.
The top-performing students advanced to the Lightning Round, an intense head-to-head elimination bracket following the individual results. Three of the eight finalists in this round were Sierra Canyon students—Tiger, Thomas, and Baer. Tiger and Thomas advanced to the semi-finals, where they competed against each other. Tiger ultimately progressed to the finals and, after a close competition, secured 1st place overall, while Thomas finished strong with a 3rd place win. It was an exhilarating finish, sudden victory last question, with a packed auditorium enjoying the tense competition.
Congratulations to the entire team: Baer, Tiger, Thomas M., James, Thomas L., Nikhil, Niko B. '28, Lenka C. '27, Iris D. '28, Oliver G. '28, Rachel G. '28, Olivia M. 27, Atticus M. '27, Danny W. '26, Ryan X. '26. Each student contributed to Sierra Canyon's early success, and the team looks forward to many more competitions!
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